Claudio Ranieri has received an honour from the Italian President after the soccer manager led rank outsiders Leicester City to the top of the English Premier League.
Ranieri, a native of Rome, was made a “Grand Officer of the Order of Merit of the Republic”, a spokeswoman for the presidency said.
When Leicester sealed their victory, fans in Rome displayed a banner in Ranieri’s honour in the neighbourhood where his parents once ran a butcher’s shop.
The 64 year-old has also managed Italian teams Fiorentina, Napoli and Roma, Spain’s Atletico Madrid and Chelsea in England.